The Trip That Beats The Bonus

The Trip That Beats The Bonus

Author: Curiosity Media September 15, 2026 Duration: 52:40

Three young girls leave the United States for the first time and head to Paris on a trip that has been awarded to their mother for extraordinary work. It lands them in a restaurant where they encounter escargot for the first time. Do they devour the snails? Drown them in lemon juice to avoid the taste? Or scramble for the nearest detour?!!! The story is a portal into how the workplace has changed through a report called the Recognition Disconnect. Now, with more than 50 percent of employees surveyed feeling burned out and many fearful of being replaced by artificial intelligence, people desire workplace rewards that are about time with family that actually replenishes. The human connection in this trip shifts the narrative away from the dystopian nightmare of AI taking everybody's jobs. It's told through Xceleration CEO Ben Levenbaum – who commissioned the survey. And seasoned by Frank Congiu, a global thought leader at Randstad – which helped 1.7 million people find jobs last year. In the end, it defines how this podcast has evolved into ways of getting the best out of AI and avoiding the worst. For these reward trips are an innovative way of enabling humans to feel confident and thrive in the age of artificial intelligence.


For decades, Cal Fussman has built a remarkable career by asking the right things at the right time, drawing profound insights from icons like Muhammad Ali, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Serena Williams. That same genuine curiosity drives every episode of Big Questions with Cal Fussman. This isn't about quick soundbites or surface-level chatter. Instead, Cal creates a space where guests-from visionary CEOs and legendary coaches to groundbreaking artists-feel comfortable exploring the pivotal moments and hard-earned lessons that truly shaped their paths. You'll hear conversations that meander into unexpected places, often uncovering the personal philosophies and resilient mindsets behind public success. Produced by Curiosity Media, the podcast serves as a masterclass in listening and human connection, relevant for anyone interested in the intersections of business, creative careers, and lifelong education. Each discussion feels like a deep dive into a life fully examined, offering tangible wisdom for navigating your own big questions.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Big Questions with Cal Fussman
Podcast Episodes
AI Job Advice: Look Back, Leap Forward [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:18
The future may not be hiding in Silicon Valley. It could be hidden in your childhood. When a bright young grad sits down at Cal's Thanksgiving table worried about AI layoffs and disappearing careers, Cal offers an unexpe…
Till Tech Do Us Part [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:40
Here is a question Cal never thought he'd ask. Let's just say a human marries an AI and they get divorced. Does ChatGPT get the alimony? This is the way we need to begin thinking after news came out that a Japanese woman…
Boredom Never Stood A Chance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:46
When Cal looks back on his life, he sees a relentless drive that's guided him to his 69th birthday: Never be bored. His past reveals a simple truth. Boredom ends where curiosity begins.
Your Best Thanksgiving [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:09
Cal looks over a bountiful breakfast menu and remembers the statistics he heard about kids going hungry in Tampa Bay — a city that, through his traveler's eyes, appears to be flourishing. When you hear the numbers, you'l…
Turning Fandom Into Family [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:06
When Kobe Bryant watched the Eagles win Super Bowl 52 on television, he wasn't alone — he was holding his 1-year-old daughter, Bianka, in his arms. That moment, captured on home video, wasn't just about football. It was…
Your Future Life: When Love Outlives Death [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:59
After actress and author Suzanne Somers passed away, her husband couldn't let go — so he brought her back. Not in memory. But as an AI twin. He created a life-like humanoid to converse with in her voice and keep her spir…
Johnny Depp, Hemingway, And The Question That Changes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:37
Everything An unexpected e-mail sends Cal spiraling back to a conversation with the actor Johnny Depp — and to Ernest Hemingway's brush with death in back-to-back plane crashes. When Cal opens a book titled What Do You W…
The Future Of Policing Has Four Wheels – And No Cops [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:10
A police van that drives itself, launches drones, reads license plates, and streams live infrared video straight to headquarters. Miami-Dade just unveiled it. A cruiser with no cops inside. Cal explores the next wave of…
Sam Altman Shoplifting & Other Strange Sights [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:01
In a week when companies propose growing human eggs from male skin and gestating babies inside robots, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is seen in a viral video shoplifting at Target — bringing laugher to some and raising a chillin…